NEW YORK — Six players, including the heart of the Minnesota Vikings’ stout defensive line, were suspended for four games without pay by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league’s anti-doping policy.
All six were punished for using a diuretic, which can serve as a masking agent for steroids.
The suspended players were running back Deuce McAllister and defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith of New Orleans; defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams of Minnesota; and long snapper Bryan Pittman of Houston.
The punishment means all six will miss the end of the regular season, an especially harsh blow to Minnesota, which relies heavily on the Williamses in its run defense, which ranks second in the league.
Angelo Wright, the agent for Pat Williams, said he planned to file a motion in federal court in the next 24 hours, presumably to put off his client’s suspension. Tom Condon, the agent for Kevin Williams, said he hadn’t yet determined what course of action to take.
A seventh player, Atlanta’s Grady Jackson, was not suspended. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Jeff Pash, the league’s chief counsel, had asked for additional information.
If a player’s team makes the playoffs, the player will be eligible to return to the active roster on Dec. 29.
The suspension of Pat and Kevin Williams, who are not related, may prove to be the most critical.
The Vikings lead Chicago by a game in the NFC North with four games left, in large part because the Williamses are considered the NFL’s best defensive tackle combination.
In their appeals, some players said the banned substance Bumetanide was not listed as an ingredient in StarCaps, an over-the-counter weight-loss pill.
In fact, Jackson filed suit against StarCaps in Alameda County Superior Court in California last month, seeking restitution for any lost salary and damages for “false advertising and unfair business practices.”
But in issuing the suspensions, the league reiterated the section of its policy that reads:
“You and you alone are responsible for what goes into your body. Claiming that you used only legally available nutritional supplements will not help you in an appeal. … Even if they are bought over-the-counter from a known establishment, there is currently no way to be sure that they contain the ingredients listed on the packaging or have not been tainted with prohibited substances …”
“If you take these products, you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! For your own health and success in the league, we strongly encourage you to avoid the use of supplements altogether, or at the very least to be extremely careful about what you choose to take.”
The NFL also said it sent two notifications about StarCaps on Dec. 19, 2006 — one to NFL club presidents, general managers and head athletic trainers and the second to NFLPA executive Stacy Robinson, who oversees the steroid policy for the union. That letter, according to the league, advised that StarCaps had been added to the list of prohibited dietary supplement companies.
Asked if the NFL would review its policy on diuretics, Birch said the policy is reviewed every year.
“I suspect the players’ association may want to look specifically at diuretics or some other issues. We’d be happy to do that with them if appropriate,” he said. “I do think it’s good policy. It works well. It has different aspects to it, but we will certainly listen with an open mind and if it’s appropriate to make change, make changes.”
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